POTATOES. 129 



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in the hall who ever raised or who ever heard of a variety 

 called tlie General Grant ? 



Mr. Gold. I had a sample sent me from Maine of that 

 variety, in a box witli a dozen others. One of the varieties 

 did not grow at all, but aside from that the yield from the Gen 

 eral Grant was the smallest of any, and I discarded it. 



Mr. Ly.^ian. I asked the question because I have had some 

 experience with the General Grant, and I thought if nobody 

 else in tlie world had ever raised such a potato or ever lieard 

 of it, I would keep quiet ; but it seems it bas dropped down 

 into our Secretary's hands, and ho liad rather bad luck with 

 it and now I will state simply my experience witli it. I had 

 four of tliem, and made about twenty hills, and they turned 

 me out a bushel and a half, but they were not remarkable for 

 size. They were tlie yellowest potatoes that I ever saw. 1 

 think the man who gave them to me spoke of their fineness 

 of grain as one quality, and they proved to be fine-grained ; 

 but when cooked they were almost as yellow as saffron. As 

 to their eating qualities they were certainly, if eaten soon 

 after they were cooked, a very good potato. 



Mr. Gold. While from that one Aroostook I gathered half 

 a bushel, from this single specimen of the General Grant that 

 I planted, which was not quite as large as the Aroostook, I 

 did not get more than two or three quarts. We cooked them 

 and found them quite an indifferent potato, but I should 

 hardly think they were as yellow as the gentleman states. I 

 am sure we did not save any for seed. 



Mr. Yeomans. I have no potato experience to relate, but 

 last summer I conducted some experiments that have a bear- 

 ing upon some of the suggestions which were made yesterday 

 in regard to the part of the potato from which the seed should 

 be taken ; and I regret that in consequence of my necessarily 

 hurried departure from home, I omitted to take my figures 

 with me. In preparing the seed, I cut the potato as nearly 

 as I could judge (and they were good sized potatoes) so that 

 there should be about the same number of eyes upon each of 

 the parts, and they were planted in rather light sandy soil, 

 in a good state of fertility. The fertilizer which I applied 

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